Six in Seoul

Written by: Hubby

Bears – Giants; a classic NFC matchup, right? Not this time! On Friday night we went to see the Doosan Bears play the Busan Lotte Giants in Jamsil Stadium, Seoul.  Let me just say up front that I had high expectations for the game. The South Koreans won the last Olympics in Baseball, and came in second to Japan in the World Baseball Classic. These guys can play ball, and this game was every bit as good as the MLB games I’ve seen. We all chose a team to support, so we had Bears and Giants fans. I chose ‘da bears’.   It looked like it was going to be a blowout until the Bears scored six in the bottom of the seventh to take the lead. The Giants scored to tie the game in the eighth. And, then out of fear of a swamped subway with the little ones, we left before the ninth. Too bad, because after nearly an hour searching the internet for the score, I discovered that the Bears won in extra innings! Yeah, Doosan!

A couple of funny notes. First, we really had a hard time figuring out who Doosan was actually playing. We didn’t figure out it was the Giants until the 3rd inning or so. Our friend Mike had seen the schedule that led us to the game, but he wasn’t sure who was actually playing. And, everything was in Korean. But, we finally figured it out! Also, I was expecting hotdogs and beer at the stadium. No such luck. There was a lot of beer (Cass, Hite and OB) but no dogs. No matter, there was plenty of dried squid. Also, there was bulgogi burgers from BK and chicken from KC. The kids also had ice cream.  We also discovered that you can bring any food or drinks into the stadium. So, next time maybe I’ll bring my own dogs.

So, for those of you interested in going to see baseball in Seoul, I highly recommend it. We took the subway to the game: line 2, stop 218 - exit 5, which is the Olympic Sports Complex. This took us right to Jamsil Stadium. The subway exit is also very close to the ticket office. So, it was an easy trip. We ended up walking the entire perimeter of the stadium because we didn’t ask for directions to our gate, but it was still pretty easy to find seats. We were in the outfield, so our seats were not reserved. The game was also really cheap. We had four adults and six kids, and outfield tickets for all ten of us were 46,000 won. That’s only about $40! Here is the official website, but good luck figuring it out.

Postscript: The day after the game, Girl and Boy2 had baseball games. Girl went 2 for 2 and hit a homerun, and boy 2 also hit a homerun! Both of them were wearing their new Doosan Bears hats. Coincidence? I don’t think so!

Pictures by me, Trish

The answer to my last blog is....Fukuoka, Japan!!!!

My MIL (mother-in-law) is visiting us from the states.  This is her second visit to Korea.  I found out about 2 days before she arrived here that she has always dreamed of visiting Japan.  I had heard that there was a bullet train to Busan, South Korea & then a super fast ferry to Fukuoka, Japan.  My MIL arrived on Sunday, and on Tuesday Hubby and I decided we would treat her to a trip to Japan for her birthday.  Since Hubby has been to Japan already, and it was going to be too expensive to take the whole family to Japan (we want to do China in fall), we decided that I would take my MIL to Japan!  We left Saturday morning on the 5:30AM bullet train to Busan! For those of you interested in traveling this way, you can book your tickets on line here.  The normal fare is about 100,000 won round trip, but if you travel first class like we did, the fare is about 140,000 won round trip.  Traveling by train looks & feels very similar to  traveling on an airplane.  In first class we had SO much leg room and the chairs were very comfortable!  OH, check this out, since I booked so late I had book by phone and not the internet, this is how they sent our tickets to me...on my cell phone!!!!!!! 

I did it again, I went back to the Dragon Hill Spa. This time I took my entire family with me!!   Also, I  snuck my camera in and took a couple of pictures!!  :)  First picture, the entrance I told you all about last time...

And the fountain just before you enter (boy 2 is standing in front of it, so you can't really see it)....

This time I felt way more comfortable going into the spa, I had no ‘barfy’ feeling at all.  I must admit I was a little nervous for my family though; the unknown is always a little frightening, even if it is not for me, but someone close to me. 

After arriving I told Hubby as much as I could about what to do once he left me and got on his own elevator.  Boy's 1 & 2 went with him; we agreed to meet in 1 hour.  I took Girl and Boy 3 with me.   Once upstairs it was time to get undressed...Girl was a tad on the nervous side, she still wasn't sure about this naked thing, Boy 3 on the other hand, stripped right down with no hesitation...oh the joy of being 3 years old!  While walking over to the shower area, Girl had the little 'hand towel' they give you wrapped around her waist; oh the joy of being 7 years old!  ;)  Once we arrived at the showering area, all Girls’ hesitation went right out the window.  She sat on the bench & started showering, then started spraying her brother, he was spraying her...oh the giggles I heard!  What joy.  Next it was time for the hot tubs.  At this point both Boy 3 and Girl are totally comfortable and are prancing around like they own the place & from the looks they were getting from everyone one else you would think they did own the place.  This is where I started to get a *tiny* bit uncomfortable.  I didn't think about this angle...I brought 2 small blonde hair, white bodied children with me, in American that would be like walking around with a rock star.  I am so thankful there were not any cameras in this area, because if there were, I'm sure we are on the internet somewhere in all our *glory*.  I finally realized all this oohing and awing was not about me ;)  They could care less about what this old Oma looks like, it was about the kids, and I was comfortable again.


Sunday seems to be a much busier day at the spa than Saturday.  I'm sure that has to do with the fact that Koreans go to school every other Saturday.  Can you imagine....American kids would have a heart attack if they had to attend school on Saturday!  We found a place on the floor in the main common area.  This is where most families hang out.  The kids loved the little snack bar & had a few too many snacks here.  They explored several of the saunas in the common area, including the one pictured below....the ICE SAUNA!

Other things we did in the common area...Hubby and Boy 1 got massages in the massage chairs - 10 minutes = 3,000 won!  They said they were great.  I should have taken more pictures, but I was afraid of getting thrown out, I'm not sure cameras are allowed, but I did see other people sneaking pictures as well.  I brought the DVD player for the kids, they watched a movie, & ate more snacks while I read a book.  At this point they were a bit restless, so I took them to the play area, after a little while we headed to the outdoor heated pool.  The kids and Hubby had a fantastic time in the pool. 

While they were in the pool, I snuck away to get a massage.  This time I opted to get a massage in the common area, the more western type of massage. (No wet black table with a lady holding her panties.) I was guided to a big room that had about 8 massage tables, I saw people laying with all their clothes on (remember they give you PJ's), so I plopped down and was ready for my 1 hour sports massage.  Now I must tell you, I LOVE a deep tissue massage.  9 out of 10 times I am not happy with the massage I get because the therapist rarely goes deep enough for me.  After the first touch, I knew I was going to like this *little* lady.  She tore me up and it felt FANTASTIC!  I couldn't believe she actually hurt me a couple of times, but I did not complain, as I did not want her to lighten up.  She walked on me, shoved her knees in me, twisted my body in ways my husband only dreams of.   It was the best massage I have had in YEARS!!  

Next I met up with my family, and everyone was hungry.  We ate at one of the two sit down restaurants on site. It was good and we would eat there again.

Now, I did not plan on staying all day, as I thought my family would be ready to go after a few hours.  Girl had a birthday party to attend at 1:30, we arrived at the spa at 9AM, I thought surely everyone would be ready to go home before lunch.  At 1PM, after lunch, none of the boys wanted to leave, and Girl had mixed feelings, but she really didn't want to miss her good friend’s birthday party, plus we had already RSVPed and I would not have let her miss it anyway.  So, Girl, Boy 3 and myself headed out leaving the 3 other boys behind.

The boys finally called me at 4:30 asking me to come pick them up.

So, a few things I learned from this day.....

1. If you are afraid of going to the Spa because of the naked issue, it is mute.  You can do a day at the spa without being naked.

2. There is so much to do in the common areas – there is a play area for the kids, a heated swimming pool, a hot tub, fitness center, garden on the top floor (I did not go up, but saw the sign for it), massages of all types, manicures, pedicures, relaxation, saunas of every type, hot, wet, cold, dry, brick oven…I’m sure there were even more I didn’t see.  Oh, and I cannot forget the bottom floor where you can play video games or use a computer and connect to the internet, 30 minutes for 1,000 won.  You can’t beat that.

3. I knew it was a family place, but it is much more family oriented than I thought, Boy 1, the one that was totally freaked out about going (the naked thing…you know, he is only 12) he was the one that did not want to leave.

So, what are you waiting for?  Pack a bag and head on out!  You will love it, I promise, and if you need someone to go with, just call anyone in my family and we will be game!

My stomach was in knots the moment I decided to go. I grabbed my neighbor J & we headed out the EMart gate over to IPark mall where we were meeting my friend G & her family for my first Korean style spa experience.  The Dragon Hill Spa is right next door to IPark, I have seen it several times not knowing what it was.  The entrance is very nice, & calming, it is lined with skinny, bamboo style trees and a water fountain right before you go in the doors. I don't remember what the fountain was, as I was concentrating on not tossing my cookies. 

Upon entering I paid 10,000 won & they give me a key on a wrist band a couple of towels not even big enough to cover my 3 year old & a set of pajama style clothes.  Next I took my shoes off & put them in my shoe locker.  At this point we said goodbye to G's husband, planned a time to meet up with him in the common area and then we head to the women’s elevator.  Upon exiting the elevator I saw a little gift shop, turned right and HELLO, NAKED PEOPLE, things started to blur and I just followed G to the lockers.  My locker was in one hall, and G's locker was in another hall.  I didn't know what to do at this point, G was gone & I was lost, so I had to look to S, G’s 9 year old daughter for guidance now.  I looked over at S & ask what to do next...S told me to take off my clothes. "REALLY, right here, in front of God and everyone?!?!"  This is what I wanted to shout, but instead I just followed her lead, thinking, "OMG, I am naked, yeap, naked, and so is my friends little girl & my friend J, now I am walking out.....oh, and there is my friend G and she is naked too, and now we are just going for a walk."  My friend G, the experienced one, just threw the tiny towel over her shoulder and walked like she owned the place.  After J (this was J's first experience here as well) and I had a small case of the giggles, we pretended to know what we were doing.   G took us to the "showering" area, where you sit side by side, (naked) and clean yourself, - taking a full fledge sit down shower.  I'm pretty sure this is in the dreams of most men.   By this point I have seen at least 100 naked women & am feeling a little more at peace with my nakedness.  After we are all clean G shows us the many different spas, all with different temperatures, from very hot to freezing cold!  There were fresh water spas, sea salt spa, aroma spas and more.  There is even an outdoor spa area.  Again, I was a little freaked out at first, but then once I got outside it was not what I imagined.  The cement walls were very tall, no one could see in. 

After relaxing in all the different spas, we decided to have a treatment done.  G took us to the treatment area.  I chose to have a scrub.  I handed the lady my locker key, where she scanned it to charge me for the scrub.  Then another lady with a bra on, holding her panties in her hand guided me to a table, all the way across the spa - this place is huge!  She motioned for me to lie on the table, and then she put her panties on.  (Yes, I am laughing with you.)  After lying on the long black, cold and *wet* massage style table my lady threw a bucket of warm water on me, she then put *pot scrubbers* on both of her hands and started scrubbing me down!  It was a little painful at times and she would occasionally show me all the dead skin she was scrubbing off my naked body, and then throw another bucket of water on me.  When she finished scrubbing my *ENTIRE* body raw, she lathered me up with some medical smelling soap, threw another bucket of water on me & told me to go shower.  My scrub was done, and boy did I feel good!  My skin has never been so soft; I swear my skin feels like a baby.

Once I was all done showering it was time to get dressed in our *PJ's* and go meet G's husband in the common area.  The common area is so relaxing, you walk in & it is very quiet, even though there are several children here.  The floor is heated, so your toes are nice and toasty.  People are having picnics on the floor, children are playing, couples are snuggled together, a few people are sleeping and others are reading and just hanging out.  There is a restaurant, a 'western' style massage area, you know, were you are not laying side by side in nakedness out in the open.  They have a play area for kids, and a coed swimming pool, where you have to wear a bathing suite, thank God!  There are many saunas, and even an ice room.  After ordering a little snack, I sat down on the heated floors.  G started knitting, her daughter broke out toys to play with & her husband was reading a book.  After a little while, a magician started to set up.  G said she and her family have spent 8 hours here just hanging out.  I am starting to see why!  I love this place!  I hated that I was on a time limit and had to leave, but don't worry, there is always next weekend.  I can't wait to get naked again, run through the spa & get a massage!  Next weekend my whole family is going, everyone that is except Boy 1, he is not sold on the whole idea, but just give him time, give him time....

Remember I saw Nanta a few months ago?  Well I was talking to one of my Korean friends and she mentioned that she took her kids to see Kid Nanta.  I didn't even know there was such a thing!  So my friend made reservations for us gave us directions and sent us on our way.  I knew it was going to be interesting getting there because the way Koreans give directions is seriously foreign!  It should have taken us only 15 minutes to arrive at our destination after exiting the subway, but it took us 40, when we were ready to throw in the towel and catch a cab, the cab driver looked at me, shook his head and pointed at the building across the street and behind us. 

We arrived just a few minutes before the show started. The show was bright, loud and fun!  The whole show as in Korean, but the kids didn't seem to mind.  I think Boy 2 enjoyed it the most, with Boy 3 close behind.  Hubby was the least interested, he took a little nap, although I don't know how because it was so loud!

This next picture is of things you cannot do in the theatre....can you figure it out?

Me and the kids after the show....

After the show we headed out for a little chow.  Boy 1 eyed a nice little Korean restaurant while we were walking.   Boy 1 is always happy as long as we are eating.

Heading back to the subway.  I love this picture!

This past Monday (between all the puking) we headed to the Coex Mall to go to the aquarium.  This was the first time I had been to the Coex mall, and I was amazed at how freaking large this place is & I only saw a VERY small portion of it!  I can't wait to go back!

We took the subway to the COEX mall.  To get there by Subway take the green line, line #2 to the Samseong stop - exit through gates 5 & 6, follow the signs to the COEX, then to the Coex Aquarium.   If you decide to drive, there is parking at the Coex, & the aquarium will validate your parking 50% off for the first 3 hours.  The price for the Aquarium is 15,000 won for adults, 13,000 for youth & 10,000 for children, less than 48 months is free. The aquarium could take anywhere from 2-5 hours to enjoy, I think we spent just over 3 hours here. Now that you know how to get there,  how much won to take, & how much time you will need, let go! 

This aquarium is fun for kids of all ages; I think Boy 1 even had fun!   This aquarium had some really fun & cool exhibits. 

Where ever you go in Korea, you will always find a kimchi pot....

This exhibit was baffling to Hubby...he said it went against the nature of physics or something like that.....  J 
See the little fishies swimming up inside the tubes?  I had to tear him away.....

We all had fun with the mirrors....I told Boy 2 if he kept drinking Coke, he might end up as big as he is in the mirror...

I told you Boy 1 had fun, can you see the fish in the toilet?  I have a serious fear of this, but with snakes.  I never go to the bathroom without looking in the toilet because I am afraid a snake will be in the toilet and it will bite me on the bottom.  Crazy, I know, I can thank a sister-in-law for that one.  TMI?

I don't know why, but Boy 3 thought this was SO COOL!  He laughed out loud and YELLED for everyone, even strangers to come look at the fish in the washer!

Girl and I were digging these goldfish.....

Half way through they had a play area for the kids....

After the half way mark, they brought out the big tanks.....

This was a great aquarium...if you live here,you should go!

Hubby and I took the kids to Namsan Seoul Tower that past Monday.  The little ones have never been.  They were not too impressed with the observation deck, in fact Girl took her camera, but when we got to the observation deck she put it away. The picture below is of Boy 2 and I looking at the view before we went into the tower.  OH....did I mention I am a brunette again? 

Boy 1 was so happy to be with us....

Things they did like about our adventure:

The teddy bears....

They also liked lunch.  We ate in the tower, at Sobahn Korean Restaurant.  It is a Korean buffet, you order your main dish, then go to the buffet for all your soups, salads and side dishes.  The buffet was wonderful; I could have not ordered a main dish and been completely happy.  If you go for lunch, the prices are pretty reasonable for what you get.  The price for adults is 22,000 won & kids are 7,500 won. 

Boys 1 & 2 really liked the ribs....

And the other thing they really enjoyed was the bus ride...well, Boy 1 didn't really like much of anything (except the ribs).

This is how it started.....

This pretty red bus almost made mince meat of my van and everyone in it.  I'm telling you, I thought we were going to die.  Once I recovered from the shock of my near death experience I thought we were on the wrong road.  I do not want to be on the wrong road in Korea, so I turned around and went back to start all over again.  The next time we did it, at the same merging area (where the bus nearly ran over us) a taxi cab cut me off, then hit the trucks in front of him!  That will show him to cut me off.  No one was hurt, so I am allowed to say that.  At this point any sane person would give up,  turn around and go home.  Not me, we were on a quest for pottery. I had 2 girls in the car that had never been to Yeoju, and I felt it was my duty to show them this amazing little pottery town.  So we continued on our journey with my not so fancy GPS....

One thing you don't have to worry about here is getting pulled over if you are speeding, there are never police cars out on the roads..........however they do have 'police enforcement' all over the place, and they warn you of it often.

Now when you see these cute little yellow signs, I suggest you check your speed.  If you choose not to heed thier warnings, they will happily take your picture and send a nice little note to you in the mail....

Once we made it to Yeoju, it was all worth it.   We went to a couple of my favorite places, and then to many more places.  This next picture is where I bought our everyday dinner dishes (like I have any other kind); I call it the 'blue and white factory'. The dishes are stunning in person, they are not too girlie, but not too manly either.  They are sturdy enough for this rough family of 6 and they are very inexpensive!!!  Anytime we have someone over for dinner they always compliment our dishes.  My friends S & L liked them so much; they each now have a set to call their own.

Look at all of our boxes after shopping at the blue and white factory.  Only the one little box on the ground is mine.

We took the 3rd row out of the van; it's a good thing too, because by the end of the day, the back of the van was pretty full.

After checking my GPS again....

we headed to another favorite little spot of mine, the white on white factory.

Seriously folks, this is the factory.  You go in through their garage!

Every time I come here this little man is always sitting here spinning pottery with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.  He took the cigarette out of his mouth for the picture.  I wish he hadn't done that.

All of this pottery is made by hand, most of it by the man above and his wife.

On the way home from Yeoju, I had to stop at a rest stop.  If you have never been to a Korean rest stop, you NEED to go!  They are unlike any other.

Korean's are recycling fools!  They recycle EVERYTHING! (That's a good thing)

They want to make sure you have a place to put your dog,

and your baby....

while you have a snack.

Yes, I ate that.  My friends didn't want to have anything to do with it, but I made them try it.  It is just mackerel, or go/dung/ah in Korea.  It is SO YUMMY!

Our trip home was another story.

NOTE TO SELF #36.....While living in Korea, do not try to take a shortcut home, no matter how bad traffic is.


******Some of these photos were stolen from my friend L's facebook account.

My first sentence here would typically be... "Building 63 is the tallest building in Korea", but, before we get started, I must inform you that hubby and I are disagreeing on something.  The travel books all say Building 63 is the tallest building in Korea, so I am in agreement with.  Somehow hubby thinks he knows better than all the travel guides and the internet, and he says Building 63 is not the tallest building in Korea.  He does not know which building is taller; he just 'knows' there is one out there.  I did find that there is a 'proposal' to build a Lotte World II in Busan, but it hasn't even started being built yet.  So, back to my blog:

Building 63 is the tallest building in Korea.  It is host to an aquarium, named SEAWORLD, with over 20,000 different types of fish, an IMAX theatre, many restaurants, and the 60th floor is an observatory.  We went to the aquarium in Building 63 last week.  We had a great time!  The aquarium is a great place to take children of all ages, and the price is pretty reasonable. 3 & under is free, 4-12 = 11,000 won, teens 13-18 = 12,000 won & adults are 15,000 won.  You can get a discount if you choose to do 2 or more things, aquarium, observatory & or IMAX.

Here are some pictures of our day:

This floor was a little freaky!  Boy 3 would not walk on it.

The kids really loved the sea otter exhibit and the sea lion show.  The sea otters had a hamster type cage, with tubes running all over the place, and the sea lion show was so much fun, even though it was in Korean, we understood what was going on.  The sea lions had a play ground in their tank, complete with swings, basketball hoops and a couple of slides!

I've told my kids not to play with snakes, but only Boy 3 listens to me.  He was the only one that would not go near the snake!

All in all it was a very fun afternoon.  If you live here you should take your kids on one of these dreary cold days!

My friend I. was very gracious and invited our family as well as the B family, whom she had never met, to Lotte World (an amusement park) and back to her apartment of a late lunch.  I felt bad taking so many people to her house, and I gave her many outs,  but I she really wanted to show my American friends the way of life for Koreans.   I. and her family were so wonderful to all of us!  Here are some highlights of our day at Lotte World...

If you live in Korea and have never been to Lotte World, you need to go! It was so much fun, and it is a good place to go in the winter.  Half of the park is inside, half is outside.  The indoor area is perfect for small children.  The outdoor area is where the big rides are.  I went outside with the big kids.  We had a great time even though it was -2 degrees C (below freezing).  We rode 4 rides before we felt like our toes were going to break off because they were frozen.

Here is a picture of the second ride we rode......

I thought it was much more scary going up than coming down.  My little friend H was not happy that I made her ride this ride!  :)

Just a side note here....you guys have all heard me talk about the sock man, and many of you have received socks from me.  I know you all think I am crazy with this sock thing I have going on, so here is something else to add to my crazy....I'm not the only one that loves socks here...Koreans are crazy for socks too, check out the cute sock they wear!  

On this ride, we thought the shields were 'barf shields', well come to find out, they are actually wind shields.  Boy 1's shield had a crack in it & he could not breath for most of the ride.  This ride was too scary for me.  There, I said it, I WAS SCARED!  I was more than happy to take pictures though.  Check out S's face in this one.

S trying to warm up with some odang (fish cake soup).

The little one's LOVED this ride!

My friend I doesn't like to ride scary rides, so she went with Hubby and the little kids.

Our tour guides for the day...I and her Hubby.

More fun pic's from the day...

We all had a great time at Lotte World! 

Stay tuned for the 2nd part of our day...going to my friend I's new apartment in Seoul, making kimbap, having a fantastic dinner and singing songs!